2000-01 UMass-Lowell Recruits

By Monty Rodrigues

July 15th, 2000

The UMass Lowell 2000/2001 recruiting class was finalized over the lastcouple of weeks, and includes a couple of potential big name players. TheHawks losses from last year include the four seniors, forwards Chris Bell(9-21-30), John Campbell (7-11-18) and Craig Brown (4-5-9) along withdefender Kevin Bertram (10-8-18). Two players that would have beensophomores this year, defenseman Andy Wozniewski and goalkeeper Dan Weinriebwill return to junior hockey for the 2000-2001 year.

So with six spots to fill, the Hawks recruited well to restock each of thepositions that were lost. The big name of this years incoming class isforward Laurent Meunier, a freshman from Echirolles, France and formerteammate of River Hawk junior forward Yorick Treille. Meunier, 5’11”, 180pounds, is described by Coach Tim Whitehead as a “very well-roundedforward.” Meunier, born 1/16/79, spent the last year as a member of theLeon Lions in the French Elite League. He might have made a name forhimself though at the 2000 World Hockey Championship in St. Petersburg,Russia this past year. Meunier was the 11th leading scorer in theTournament, with a 4-3-7 line in 6 games, even though he was one of theyounger players participating. “Laurent is a top-notch player,” Whiteheadsaid. “He skates well and is very smart with the puck. I can see him doing alot of things for us.”

Forward Peter Hay (Weyburn, SJHL) was the first player signed by Lowell forthe upcoming year. Hay, at 6’5″, 200 pounds, will add some weight to theLowell front lines. In 50 games, Hay showed his scoring touch with 36 goalsand 42 assists. According to Whitehead, Hay, a 21 year old from Abbotsford,BC, “skates real well for a big guy and he has great hands and an excellentscoring touch. He put up real good numbers in a real good league.” Hay waspresented the Weyburn Security Award for outstanding ability as well as theWeyburn Co-op Award, presented to the top scorer, this past year.

The third forward added onto the roster this year, is 18 year old AndersStrome, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Strome last played for the Winnipeg SouthBlues of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), the same club whichproduced former River Hawk Craig Brown. At 6’2, 190, Strome will also addsome girth up front, as well as a shot that netted him 24 goals in 63 gameslast year, along with 47 assists. Strome showed his worth in the playoffsfor the Blues though, putting up 14-9-23 in just 16 games. “Anders hasimproved at every level which he has played,” Whitehead noted. “He is veryathletic, has a good scoring touch and he’ll keep getting better andbetter.”

Lowell’s two incoming defenseman, Darryl Green and Jerremie Domish, bothsigned prior to the 1999 season but had to sit out last year. Green, a LDat Chatham (WOJHL) was not eligible for the 99/00 season because he playedfive games for the S.S. Marie Greyhounds in the 1995-96 season. He almostbecame a River Hawk one year earlier, but according to reports it wasdecided he would be better off going to the juniors for one more year. Greenis the oldest of Lowell’s incoming class (born 4/9/78), and at 6’0″, 188,will be able to handle himself well in Hockey East. Green, was the captainof the Maroons, and is a high scoring defenseman (52 games, 15 goals, 38assists) averaging over a point per game and also averaging just under 4 PIMa game with 179 total penalty minutes. His 53 points made him the sixthhighest scorer on his Maroons’ team. Green is also a force on the powerplay, with eight of his fifteen goals coming on the man advantage. Greenwas voted the top defensive player in the Western Ontario Junior HockeyLeague (WOJHL) during the 1997-98 season. He helped the Chatham Maroonsadvance to the Ontario Junior ‘B’ championship in 1998 and 1999. “Darryl hasgreat hands and makes very good decisions with the puck,” Whitehead said.“He plays smart defensively.”

Domish, 5-10, 200 pounds, is a tough, physical player who adds bulk to theRiver Hawk blue line. Domish played for the Tecumseh Bulldogs of the WOJHLin 1998-99. “Jerremie is a very mobile, physical defenseman who has realpotential,” said Whitehead. Domish, from Pottstown, PA, was born in 1979,and in his last year with the Bulldogs put up 9-32-41 line in 47 games, with104 penalty minutes.

The final recruit is goaltender Chris Davidson (Hudson, QUE), who was signedfollowing a great season with the Cambridge Winter Hawks of the Mid-WesternJunior Hockey League (MWJHL) This was the same team that produced formerRiver Hawk great and Hockey East Rookie of the Year Greg Bullock. Davidsonled the Winter Hawks to the Sutherland Cup (Championship of Ontario), whileleading the league with a 2.29 goals against average over 1,491 minutes andcompiled an 18-6-1 record. “Chris has consistently improved at every level,and he played his best hockey in the playoffs last season with Cambridge,”Whitehead noted. “He moves well, controls his rebounds, and he is a realcompetitor.”

This class has some potential for the Hawks. The two defensemen will beexpected to contribute immediately, and with the offense sputtering throughthe majority of the season, the forwards will have a great shot to playoften. With two junior goaltenders in front of him, Davidson might have ahard time getting between the pipes, but if one of the returning netmindersgets injured, Coach Whitehead will not worry about throwing Davidson on theice, especially with a talented and deep defensive corp in front of him.

Of course … this is all just conjecture … we’ll find out the truthbeginning on October 13, when the regular season starts for Lowell at homeagainst the UConn Huskies.